Rhein River Cruise - Blogged by JME




Last Saturday, September 26, 2009, N8 had the opportunity to go on the Rhein River Cruise with some of the people from his department, as well as the Wounded Warriors.



He was able to see a lot of castles and beautiful buildings, a long with just beautiful scenery from the countryside.





N8 said that when the Roman's came to Germany, they planted grape vines everywhere. Some of them are on cliffs and places so steep, people have to repel to harvest the grapes and take care of the vines. Notice how many grape vines you see in some of these pictures. They were everywhere.



Some of these castles are so beautiful!



This is N8 with Sergeant B, his wife, and Chaplain S.



More grape vines!

I'm sure all of these places have a really neat story that goes with each and every one of them. I asked N8 about it and he said that the tour guide did give some history on each place but he had to do it in German, French, Spanish, and English and spoke so fast to fit it all in four different languages that he wasn't able to retain a lot of what was said.


Still, what a cool way to spend a Saturday!!!

Mainz-Germany - Blogged by JME

N8 had a really awesome experience last Saturday, September 19, 2009. He was able to go with the 'Wounded Warriors' on a sort of field trip. He was able to go to Mainz, Germany (pronounced My-n-tz . . . Sorry, I hope that helps). While he was there he got to go through the Guttenberg Museum. He was able to see three of the original Bibles that had been printed on the Guttenberg printing press. He couldn't take any pictures in the museum because so many of the things shown there are so old and so flash photography was not permitted.




While there, N8 also had a chance to go to a very beautiful cathedral. It was a pretty cool way to spend a Saturday.




N8 found this fountain that has a man that looks like he has gotten a little ill. I've seen fountains of little boys peeing but never a fountain of a man throwing up. Pretty funny!

Frankfurt Temple - Blogged by JME and N8



About a week or two after N8 got to Germany, he had the opportunity to go to the Frankfurt Temple. After a frightening drive on the autobahn, and getting lost in downtown Frankfurt, they made it alive. Getting directions in the temple from people who only spoke German was a challange, but all in all N8 had a good experience.

N8's commentary on current events:
Really America? You sure you thought this through? - Blogged by N8

OK, I just want to let you know what my situation is here. I don't get to watch a whole lot of TV here due to my work schedule. Mostly, I watch TV in the Dining Facility when I eat. They always have the news on. Unfortunately, they have mostly Fox News and MSNBC, the furthest right and the furthest left cable news sources in America. I've been able to track a lot of the issues going on back home from both extreme points of view and just wanted to share my conclusion...

When I started elementary school, Ronald Reagan was the President. When I graduated, Bill Clinton was the President. So, I definitely got to experience the whole spectrum of politics as a child. It seemed that almost every year the school would take every grade and put us in the same large room to watch a speech of the President encouraging us to study hard, be good citizens, stay out of trouble, and have fun. Never once did I feel "indoctrinated" by what the President had to say, he was just telling me that hard work and dedication pay off. Common sense really...

Nobody was ever pulled from the group because their parents disagreed with what the President had to say. The school showed the speech and no parents showed up angry that their child was exposed to the "extremist points of view" of the President. So why is that happening now?

I've read the speech given by President Obama and it is the very same speech I was used to hearing as a child. In fact, I felt waves of euphoria hitting me as I read it. Not once did I read anything extremist, liberal, or invasive at any time. If telling kids to work and study hard is wrong I don't want to be right.

What shocked me was watching the parents of school children all across America being interviewed saying that they would pull their kids from school so that they didn't have to watch it. One woman was even crying, almost in hysterics, because she couldn't fathom the idea that the President would be talking to her little girl. A school superintendant in Florida was being scrutinized because he was making it mandatory for the children in his school district to watch it.

So, let me get this right... You don't want your children to hear the President telling them to work hard, study hard, and stay in school, so you TAKE THEM OUT OF SCHOOL??? Are you serious??? Am I just out of the loop or does this just not make sense to everyone else?

The last time I checked we were the UNITED States of America. How has it come to this? Parents, please use your brains and common sense and keep your children in school. I promise that the President is not going to tell them anything they aren't going to hear from you, their teachers, their coaches, and their mentors. Removing them from their source of education does not teach them anything. I know that sounds weird, but it is true.

Surprise!!! - Blogged by JME

When you leave for a year, how many things can be different when you come home??? Well, in our case, at least one. N8 will have a new person in the family to become acquainted with. Is someone getting married? No . . . Did someone get a pet? No. . . Is JME expecting??? No!!! (Apparently, you have to be in the same Country for that to happen, let alone the same state, city, block and . . . well, you get the picture.)

Yes! Pookie is expecting! What a surprise. We get a new little niece or nephew arriving at the end of March or first of April. Little Pooh Bear is excited to be a big sister and keeps asking mom, "Is the baby in your tummy?" and doing all sorts of things to be ready. Being a big sister is a big responsibility you know. Pookie knows that quite well as she had her hands full with her little brother, N8, and I'm sure she'll have Pooh Bear ready when it is her turn, too!

N8's commentary on current events:
Cougar Attack In Texas!!! -Blogged by N8

This picture was taken after Heisman Trophy Winner Sam Bradford was viciously attacked by a 6-foot-3, 234 pound Cougar at Cowboy's Stadium!



That's right, BYU handed the (then) No. 3 Ranked Oklahoma Sooners their first loss of the season. Utah native, Coleby Clawson sacked the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback and put him out of commission, ensuring a beautiful victory for the BYU Cougars. Let's see him do the "Heisman Pose" in that armsling, huh? Congratulations on your first win Cougars, hope the rest of the season goes just as well!!!

Home Sick or Just Bronchitis??? - Blogged by JME

Not too long after N8 got to Germany, he went out with a friend during the afternoon to Ramstein. The afternoons there in Germany at this time of the year are pretty nice and perfect for wearing shorts and a t-shirt. However, the nights are freezing cold and more like hoody-wearing weather. N8 was planning to be home before dark, but him and his friend ended up taking a crash course on riding the train there and ended up getting home four hours late . . . . at 1 a.m . . . . dressed in only shorts and a t-shirt.



The next day, N8 developed a nice little cough. Hoping that it was nothing, and not wanting to take any sick days, N8 kept plugging along for a whole week before going to the doctors. "You have bronchitis, and possibly walking pneumonia," said the nice doctor when he finally was seen, and ended up treating him with this little Smörgåsbord of fun little medications he is currently taking. He is on the mend now and feels (and sounds) much better.